Marco Wyss - Böcker

The armed forces of Europe have undergone a dramatic transformation since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Handbook of European Defence Policies and Armed Forces provides the first comprehensive analysis of national security and defence policies, strategies, doctrines, capabilities, and military operations, as well as the alliances and partnerships of European armed forces in response to the security challenges Europe has faced since the end of the cold war. A truly cross-European comparison of the evolution of national defence policies and armed forces remains a notable blind spot in the existing literature. The Handbook of European Defence Policies and Armed Forces aims to fill this gap with fifty-one contributions on European defence and international security from around the world. The six parts focus on: country-based assessments of the evolution of the national defence policies of Europe's major, medium, and lesser powers since the end of the cold war; the alliances and security partnerships developed by European states to cooperate in the provision of national security; the security challenges faced by European states and their armed forces, ranging from interstate through intra-state and transnational; the national security strategies and doctrines developed in response to these challenges; the military capabilities, and the underlying defence and technological industrial base, brought to bear to support national strategies and doctrines; and, finally, the national or multilateral military operations by European armed forces. The contributions to The Handbook collectively demonstrate the fruitfulness of giving analytical precedence back to the comparative study of national defence policies and armed forces across Europe.

In light of the discrepancy between Britain's and France's postcolonial security roles in Africa, which seemed already determined half a decade after independence, this book studies the making of the postcolonial security relationship during the transfer of power and the early years of independence (1958-1966). It focuses on West Africa, and more specificially the newly independent states of Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire, which rapidly evolved into key players in the postcolonial struggle for Africa. Based on research in fourteen archives in Africa, Europe, and the United States, Postcolonial Security comparatively investigates the establishment of formal defence relations, the disintegration of the Anglo-Nigerian 'special relationship' and the Franco-Ivorian 'neo-colonial collusion', the provision of British and French military assistance to their former colonies and the competition they faced from West Germany and Israel respectively, and the Anglo-American partnership in Nigeria and the Franco-American rivalry in Côte d'Ivoire. It demonstrates that whereas Britain was rapidly and increasingly pushed out of and replaced in the Nigerian security sector by western competitors, France succeeded in retaining its military foothold and pre-eminence in Côte d'Ivoire. Informed by postcolonial approaches, Postcolonial Security argues that while London's Cold War blinkers and Paris's neo-imperial agenda were part of the equation, the postcolonial security relationship was ultimately determined by the Nigerian and Ivorian elites, which in turn responded to their local and regional circumstances against the background of the Cold War in Africa.

The Handbook of African Defence and Armed Forces provides the first in-depth and multifaceted analysis of the evolution and current state of national defence policies, strategies, doctrines, capabilities, security challenges, and strategic responses of African states and their armed forces. Geographically, these aspects are investigated at the national, sub-regional, and regional levels. Chronologically, they are analysed against the backdrop of the 'superpower withdrawal' from the continent in the 1990s, and the so-called 'New Scramble for Africa', which has seen a crescendo of renewed great power interest in the continent's resources, as well as its strategic role, location, and relevance since the 2000s. The book takes a bottom-up and African-centric approach, and is organized around five key themes: i) the differing security outlooks and defence policies of African powers within the region and the different sub-regions; ii) the strategies, doctrines, transformation, and employment of African armed forces; iii) the relationship between African armed forces with sub-regional, regional, and international organizations; iv) the challenges that African states and their armed forces have been facing and their strategic responses; and v) the position of African perspectives and agency in the context of continental and international security and defence. Understanding African security and defence, especially in terms of each individual nation's ability to contribute to peacekeeping operations, counterterrorism, border security, and internal security requires a focus on the national level of armed forces and defence policies; this in turns sheds light on sub-regional and regional divergences, challenges, and cooperation. Based on this framework, the chapters in this volume offer comprehensive African perspectives on African and international security and defence, and in doing so show the agency of the continent's countries and armed forces in International Security and Relations.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of peacekeeping in Africa. Recent events in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mali remind us that violence remains endemic and continues to hamper the institutional, social and economic development of the African continent. Over the years, an increasing number of actors have become involved in the effort to bring peace to Africa. The United Nations (UN) has been joined by regional organisations, most prominently the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), and by sub-regional organizations like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Meanwhile, traditional and emerging powers have regained an interest in Africa and, as a consequence, in peacekeeping. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the trends and challenges of international peacekeeping in Africa, with a focus on the recent expansion of actors and missions. Drawing upon contributions from a range of key thinkers in the field, Peacekeeping in Africa concentrates on the most significant and emerging actors, the various types of missions, and the main operational theatres, thus assessing the evolution of the African security architecture and how it impacts on peace operations.This book will be of much interest to students of peacekeeping and peace operations, African politics, war and conflict studies, security studies and IR.

Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who ruled Côte d’Ivoire from independence in 1960 until his death in 1993, remains one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern African history. Revered by some as the “old sage” who transformed his country into an economic powerhouse and a haven of stability during the Cold War and reviled by others as a neocolonial collaborator whose policies sowed the seeds of later crisis, Houphouët-Boigny left a legacy that continues to shape debates about postcolonial governance and African international relations.This first English-language biography offers a comprehensive and nuanced portrait of Houphouët-Boigny’s life and career. It traces his journey from Baoulé nobility and early prominence in colonial politics to his emergence as a leading African statesman after World War II. The book examines his shifting ideological positions-championing France’s imperial project, then embracing African nationalism during the collapse of the French Community-and his pivotal role in negotiating Côte d’Ivoire’s postcolonial relationship with France.Houphouët-Boigny consolidated domestic power into a de facto one-party state, furthering his increasingly authoritarian tendencies and his efforts to modernize Côte d’Ivoire through economic development and grand architectural projects. Beyond domestic issues, the biography explores Houphouët-Boigny’s ambitions on the continental stage. It details his Cold War maneuvers, often in partnership with France, as he pursued regional dominance against figures like Kwame Nkrumah, supported Moïse Tshombe in the Congo, aided Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War, and even engaged with apartheid South Africa.By situating Houphouët-Boigny within the broader dynamics of Françafrique-the enduring neocolonial entanglement between France and its former African colonies-this biography sheds light on the complexities of postcolonial rule. It offers essential insights into the political, economic, and diplomatic forces that shaped Africa in the second half of the twentieth century and that continue to resonate today.

This book sheds new light on the foreign policies, roles, and positions of neutral states and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the global Cold War.The volume places the neutral states and the NAM in the context of the Cold War and demonstrates the links between the East, the West, and the so-called Third World. In doing so, this collection provides readers an alternative way of exploring the evolution and impact of the Cold War on North-South connections that challenges traditional notions of the post-1945 history of international relations. The various contributions are framed against the backdrop of the evolution of the Cold War international system and the decolonization process in the Southern hemisphere. By juxtaposing the policies of European neutrals and countries of the NAM, this book offers new perspectives on the evolution of the Cold War. With the links between these two groups of countries receiving very little attention in Cold War scholarship, the volume thus offers a window into a hitherto neglected perspective on the Cold War. Via a series of case studies, the chapters here present new viewpoints on the evolution of the global Cold War through the exploration of the ensuing internal and (mainly) external policy choices of these nations.This book will be of much interest to students of Cold War Studies, international history, foreign policy, security studies and IR in general.

This book sheds new light on the foreign policies, roles, and positions of neutral states and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the global Cold War.The volume places the neutral states and the NAM in the context of the Cold War and demonstrates the links between the East, the West, and the so-called Third World. In doing so, this collection provides readers an alternative way of exploring the evolution and impact of the Cold War on North-South connections that challenges traditional notions of the post-1945 history of international relations. The various contributions are framed against the backdrop of the evolution of the Cold War international system and the decolonization process in the Southern hemisphere. By juxtaposing the policies of European neutrals and countries of the NAM, this book offers new perspectives on the evolution of the Cold War. With the links between these two groups of countries receiving very little attention in Cold War scholarship, the volume thus offers a window into a hitherto neglected perspective on the Cold War. Via a series of case studies, the chapters here present new viewpoints on the evolution of the global Cold War through the exploration of the ensuing internal and (mainly) external policy choices of these nations.This book will be of much interest to students of Cold War Studies, international history, foreign policy, security studies and IR in general.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of peacekeeping in Africa. Recent events in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mali remind us that violence remains endemic and continues to hamper the institutional, social and economic development of the African continent. Over the years, an increasing number of actors have become involved in the effort to bring peace to Africa. The United Nations (UN) has been joined by regional organisations, most prominently the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), and by sub-regional organizations like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Meanwhile, traditional and emerging powers have regained an interest in Africa and, as a consequence, in peacekeeping. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the trends and challenges of international peacekeeping in Africa, with a focus on the recent expansion of actors and missions. Drawing upon contributions from a range of key thinkers in the field, Peacekeeping in Africa concentrates on the most significant and emerging actors, the various types of missions, and the main operational theatres, thus assessing the evolution of the African security architecture and how it impacts on peace operations.This book will be of much interest to students of peacekeeping and peace operations, African politics, war and conflict studies, security studies and IR.